Chapter 230 - 229: Federation Base, Mister Long

After leaving the coffee shop, Zhao LeShan took Li Jing to a nearby parking lot where a brand new Bin X business van was parked.

He courteously opened the car door and sidestepped, saying,

"Mr. Li, you have the permission to use Sky Control in the city, but to avoid unnecessary trouble, it’s better if we keep a low profile. The winds are strong right now and society at large is sensitive. We can’t afford any slip-ups."

"Yes, I understand."

Li Jing replied and settled down in the back of the van.

After Zhao LeShan took the driver’s seat, Li Jing casually asked,

"Can you tell me where we are going next, and how long it will take?"

Zhao LeShan answered without hesitation,

"We’re going to Chuanzhong Entertainment City in Shangcheng. It’s a bit far. However, it’s nearing noon, the rush hour has passed, and it should only take a little over an hour to get to Shangcheng via the elevated highway."

Hearing that they were heading to Shangcheng, Li Jing was somewhat surprised.

Shangcheng is not only the most prosperous area in Jianghai, but also the location of the Jianghai Management Bureau.

At this critical point, it was somewhat bold for the Demon Beast Union to be hiding in Shangcheng.

If anything were to happen, they’d likely have no chance of escape.

Was the most dangerous place also the safest?

Without thinking too much about it, Li Jing said,

"Start driving. Make it as quick as possible. I have other things to deal with later and can’t afford to be delayed for too long."

"Alright."

Zhao LeShan responded, activated the vehicle’s navigation system, and hit the road.

Seeing this, Li Jing leaned back in his seat and pulled out his phone to kill time.

Indeed, it was quite a distance to Shangcheng.

But it wasn’t appropriate for him to suggest flying there.

On one hand, Zhao LeShan was very cautious, and on the other, Li Jing didn’t have a suitable Sky Control magic skill to take him to Shangcheng.

Monsters used their own power to control the sky, not magic skills.

The instantaneous Sky Control Skills were difficult to discern.

However, his own Shocking Thunder Route was a special escape method and would expose him if he used it.

If he were to take out a Spirit Soldier, it would be even worse.

...

Over an hour later.

Zhao LeShan successfully took Li Jing to Shangcheng District and stopped in an open-air parking lot near Chuanzhong Entertainment City.

Realizing they had finally arrived, Li Jing took a look at Chuanzhong Entertainment City through the car window.

He had already researched it on the internet during their drive.

Chuanzhong Entertainment City was not a single entertainment venue, but a high-end entertainment area composed of dozens of large and small entertainment venues clustered together.

Nightclubs, discos, rinks, KTVs, bars - you name it, they had it.

The place was quite complex and today was Sunday.

There were likely to be many people at the entertainment city.

However, this wasn’t a big problem.

The Demon Beast Union was here not for business, but as a legitimate cover.

They would certainly welcome guests, but they would most likely be perfunctory.

Li Jing speculated,

The places they occupied were most likely the entertainment businesses that only usually opened at night and where ordinary people couldn’t afford to go.

If not, they would be so busy servicing customers that they wouldn’t have time for anything else.

Li Jing didn’t know what the Demon Beast Union did on normal days.

What can be confirmed is,

The small profit from a single entertainment venue was not attractive to them.

Just like the Wang family profited immensely through artifact refinement, the shareholders of the Union financed them for some illegal revenues in the hope of gaining larger space for growth.

As a family involved in the business of trading low-grade spiritual objects that reached across the entire Hua Country, the Wei family would not risk associating with the Union if it was not for profit.

Sure enough.

As soon as Li Jing got out of the car with Zhao LeShan, the latter eagerly spoke,

"Mr. Li, our superiors are currently hiding in a bathhouse called ’Manchun’. The bathhouse doesn’t operate during the day so there won’t be anyone to interfere. I’ll take you there now. I hope you can put in a few good words for me when you meet our superior."

Zhao LeShan was a Fifth Boundary Big Monster.

But he wasn’t faring well in the Demon Beast Union, as Li Jing had already anticipated.

One thing was clear though.

Zhao LeShan hadn’t known ahead of time that the bathhouse was the hiding place for the Jianghai branch. He only knew about it after communicating with his superior.

On the way, Li Jing noticed that Zhao LeShan had been following the vehicle’s navigation system the entire time.

When he came off the elevated highway, he almost missed the ramp exit.

And just before getting out of the car, he double-checked something on the vehicle’s navigation system.

It was obvious that he not only hadn’t been to Chuanzhong Entertainment City before but also hadn’t been to Shangcheng.

"Sure."

Li Jing responded with a friendly smile.

"Mr. Zhao and I hit it off right away, once the terms are finalized and I join the Demon Beast Union, I won’t forget you."

In response to his words, Zhao LeShan nodded energetically, expressing his agreement.

As a Big Monster of the Fifth Boundary, what he lacked was not power.

What he lacked was a status that brought him close to the core power of the Jianghai branch of the Demon Beast Union.

If Li Jing joined the Demon Beast Union, it was certain that his status would not be low.

If he could help by speaking a few words, Zhao LeShan’s status was bound to rise with his own.

...

After a while, the two of them walked into Chuanzhong Entertainment City.

As Li Jing had predicted, it was Zhao LeShan’s first time here.

Even though he had confirmed the location on the vehicle’s navigation system before getting out of the car, he was a bit lost once he entered the entertainment city, often checking his current location on his phone’s digital map.

After some time, they eventually found the "Manchun" Bathhouse.

Manchun, the name sounded questionable.

And true to its name, when they arrived near the bathhouse entrance, they found that it was indeed the case.

Although the bathhouse was closed during the day, a large group of women with long legs and dazzling clothes were gathered at the entrance.

Every now and then, passersby would approach and engage some of these women in conversation. A moment later, they could be seen leading one or two of these women deeper into the entertainment city.

These women weren’t streetwalkers, but those who offered companionship while playing games or shopping.

While it was a higher class of service, the essence was the same.

On the surface, they were just there for playing games or shopping companion, but essentially, as long as the money was right, anything could happen.

If there was demand, there would be supply.

There was nothing to talk about.

This was an entertainment city, after all!

Who wouldn’t prefer having a beauty accompanying them rather than wandering around aimlessly?

Once they had enough fun, and provided they had enough money, they could even...

You can probably guess what I’m implying!

Looking back to the point.

It was clear why Manchun Bathing Center had become the "base" for these companions.

Upon reaching the bathhouse, Zhao LeShan didn’t take Li Jing to the main entrance. Instead, they turned into a shady path to the side and entered through the back door of the bathhouse.

As soon as they stepped inside, they saw a heavily made-up female demon exuding exotic charm waiting at the entrance.

Upon seeing the female demon, Zhao LeShan stopped and respectfully said,

"Yao butler, this is Mr. Li Jing."

"Hmm."

The female demon responded arrogantly. She scrutinized Li Jing, who was looking back at her, and extended her hand with a smile on her face.

"Nice to meet you, Mr. Li. I’m Yao Jiali."

"Nice to meet you."

Li Jing nodded in greeting, clasped hands with Yao Jiali, and subtly glanced at her health bar.

6994.

Mid Fifth Boundary.

In terms of realm, she was one small realm below Zhao LeShan.

However, the difference in their statuses was apparent.

Yao Jiali shook hands with Li Jing, speaking in a soft voice.

"Mister Long specifically instructed me to receive Mr. Li, he is waiting in a private room upstairs, I will take Mr. Li up now."

As she spoke, she glanced at Zhao Leshan with a cold demeanor.

"You wait here. After Mr. Long has spoken to Mr. Li, he wishes to meet you."

"Yes."

Zhao Leshan bowed and responded obediently, standing immobile at the back door.

Yao Jiali then gestured for Li Jing to follow.

"Mr. Li, please follow me."

"Okay."

As Li Jing moved forward, he looked back.

He never really delved into the inner workings of the Demon Beast Union.

Now, it seems that this organization is excessively realistic.

A Great Demon nearing the Six Realm from the Fifth, doesn’t dare to say a word in front of another just higher-ranked Fifth Realm.

Just as he was bearing a deep impression, Yao Jiali suddenly hooked her arm through his and nestled against him with her chest.

"Mr. Li, you are truly capable. Two years ago, our union invested so much manpower to find you, but we couldn’t find any traces. If you had not contacted us, we would not have hoped to have any dealings with you. Mister Long lost a lot of sleep over this issue."

With that, she cast him a meaningful look.

"Now that Mr. Li is here, you are one of us. With Mr. Li’s qualifications and capability, after finalizing things with Mister Long, you are bound to become a high-ranking figure in our Jianghai branch. In the future, we will likely have many opportunities to collaborate. Later, Mr. Li, why not stay? I would like to take good care of you."

"With Manager Yao’s enthusiastic invitation, it seems I wouldn’t be able to refuse."

Li Jing agreed readily, marveling to himself.

This Yao Jiali’s offensive was not only strong but also proficient.

No wonder she does better than Zhao Leshan...

Seeing him not rejecting the offer, Yao Jiali’s smile bloomed as she continued to engage him in conversation.

At this, Li Jing felt annoyed.

But he had no choice but to play along.

Now is not the time to show discontent. He had to meet this Mister Long first.

Furthermore, he still needed to assess the place and determine exactly how many Demons were at the Bathing Center.

Weeding out the entire Jianghai branch of the Demon Beast Union wasn’t a possibility.

A Great Demon like Zhao Leshan, for instance, normally wouldn’t have any business here. The Union had a clear division of labor, and not all the Demons were gathered in one place.

But to be honest,

Li Jing didn’t have many expectations in this manner.

In the capital, a Great Demon like Sun Biao knew that the base was in the Seeking Immortal Winery, but he spent his time hanging out in an Internet café, not at the winery itself.

Most members are active in all parts of the city.

His only hope in coming here was to find a number of low-level demons.

He wanted quantity over quality to ensure a good experience.

...

As Yao Jiali led him into the Bathing Center’s hall, Li Jing spotted many demons along the way.

The number was much larger than he had imagined.

Just from passing the hall, he had seen over thirty demons.

The Bathing Center was huge, so there were probably many more he hadn’t yet run into.

Seeing so many demons, Li Jing felt reassured.

Moving along, he noticed that most of the demons were Fourth Realm, with a few Third Realm.

Although he didn’t see other Fifth Realm demons, there were still more here than at the Seeking Immortal Winery.

Compared to the 43 demons at the winery, this was a sure thing.

...

Upon arriving at the second floor of the Bathing Center, Yao Jiali quickly led him to a private room, pushing the door open.

As soon as the door opened, Li Jing was taken aback.

In the spacious private room, a male demon with a single horn on his head was lazily sitting on a sofa. He had female demons on each side of him, another was massaging his shoulders.

Not only that, two other female demons were provocatively dressed and dancing seductively.

This was something Li Jing had not expected.

This guy sure knows how to enjoy himself.

If someone who didn’t know saw this, they might think he had recruited a few courtesans.

The most impressive thing was,

the five female demons in this private room were all in the late stages of the Fifth Boundary, stronger than Yao Jiali.

Li Jing was astounded.

What was this guy trying to do here? Organizing a Demon Beast Union meeting or pretending to be an emperor?

All these female demons, were they part of the top brass?

And then...

They collectively served him?

On the other side, the male demon, seeing Yao Jiali seemingly wishing to merge with Li Jing and bringing people in, glanced at him indifferently and gestured with his hand.

The music in the private room stopped, and the two dancing female demons turned their heads curiously to look at Li Jing, then squeezed onto the male demon’s sofa.

A sofa filled with five Great Demons, with one even standing behind.

It was honestly quite an impactful scene.

Especially in Li Jing’s eyes, he saw their Health Bars.

This male demon was undoubtedly Mister Long.

The value of the health bar on top of his head read 8014.

Mid-phase of the Six Realm.

However, Li Jing didn’t care about his strength.

What he cared about were the prominent horns on the male demon’s head.

This horn was exceptionally unusual, unlike the common horns of horned creatures, it looked like the legendary dragon horn...

Upon confirming this, Li Jing’s eyes lit up.

Dragons, these mysterious creatures only existed in legends.

However, dragon horns were real.

This unique material was only sourced from snake demons who had awakened their Dragon Transformation gift and refined it to great depths, giving them a single horn.

Dragon Transformation wasn’t an innate gift of snake demons, it needed to be awakened later in life.

However, only snake demons could awaken this gift.

Snake demons that could awaken this gift were usually extremely powerful.

With this gift in action, they could temporarily transform into dragon form, capable of commanding the winds and summoning the rain.

The source of this power stemmed from the dragon horn they possessed.

The worth of a dragon horn was very high, it was a top-grade Artifact Refinement material for crafting Immortal Items directly.

No matter its quality, its appraisal value was at least over ten billion.

Of course.

Artifact refinement is purely luck-based.

Even with the best materials, if you couldn’t get a good refinement result, it’s a complete waste.

Even if you did get a result, whether or not anyone would dare try to tame an Immortal Spirit Weapon and risk the backlash of spirit weapon, that’s another story.

Li Jing didn’t know how to refine artifacts, nor was he interested in it.

At this moment, looking at Mister Long, he felt like he’d hit the jackpot!

Mister Long, unaware of Li Jing’s thoughts, saw him come in and stared fixedly at his own horn, immediately realizing that Li Jing was someone who "knew his stuff".

It was easier dealing with someone who "knew his stuff".

This display by Mister Long was meant to show off and flex his muscles.

As the person in charge of the Jianghai branch of the Demon Beast Union, he was very clear-minded.

The rumors of Ren Jie’s appearance in the dark alley started more than fifty years ago, at that time she was already in the Fifth Boundary.

By now, she was most likely in the Six Realm.

Receiving Zhao Leshan’s report had him even more certain their opponent was in the Six Realm.

Only someone in the Six Realm would have such audacity. Not just raising the price, but picking a fight as soon as they met to extort the Union.

In order to meet with such a tough person, he had to flex some muscle, didn’t he?

Snake demons like him who had a Dragon Transformation gift could become almost invincible at the same stage when they deployed their gifts. Li Jing, if he realized this, would naturally restrain himself.

With a soft chuckle, Mister Long, embracing two female demons, spoke.

"Mr. Li, I’ve been waiting for you for a while, come and sit, let’s talk."